A 41-year-old farmer has been sentenced to eight-year imprisonment in hard labour for stealing an 8-year-old child.

The sentence was handed by the Wa Circuit Court presided over by Justice Forson Baah Adjapong.

The convict, Fuseini Musah was arrested in Techiman by the police on March 21 for stealing the 8-year-old child.

The family of the victim had reported to the Wa police of the missing child.

Prosecutor, Inspector Stella Niabi presenting the facts of the case to the court stated that the accused Fuseini Musah hails from Kperisi but resides at Tuobodon in the Bono Ahafo region.

The accused came to Wa for a funeral on the 14th of March and in the afternoon of the same day called at a house closed to that of victim at Dokpong where a local alcoholic beverage, Pito is brewed and sold.

The accused sighted the victim alone, bated him away from the vicinity with the promise of buying meat for him.

The parent of the victim came home from a funeral and could not find him and made a report to the Wa police.

Inspector Stella further stated that the accused took the victim to Techiman in the Bono Ahafo region where he was arrested by the Techiman police.  

The accused Fuseini Musah was charged with stealing a child. He had no legal representation and pleaded guilty to the charge. He appeared remorseful in court.

The presiding Wa Circuit court, justice Forson Baah Adjapong in sentencing him stated that the society abhors child trafficking, stealing and anything that infringes on the right of the child.

Considering the degree of revulsion by the citizen of the municipality for such crime, he sentenced the accused to 8-year imprisonment in hard labour.